Chemistry of Food and Cooking: Blueberry Lemon Sorbet
Recipe Card
How can we design an experiment and measure the qualities and desirability of a finished recipe both quantitatively and qualitatively in order to determine the success of our recipe experimentation?
For most experiments, there are multiple ways to measure the qualities and desired abilities of a finished recipe both with numbers and observations in order to lead to a conclusion of if an experiment was successful or not. First, in order to have quantitative data, we must have something to measure, preferably what we are experimenting with. Let’s say we are experimenting with the fluffiness of chocolate cake and we are changing the amount of baking powder in order to determine if more will increase the fluffiness. To start this, we would want to design an experiment that has only one independent variable (what we are altering) and one dependent variable (the outcome). In this case that would mean creating three or four cakes that are exactly the same other than the amount of baking powder, which should be altered so that at least one cake has less than the base recipe and one has more than the base recipe. The point of having more than two cakes is so that we can compare each of the cakes with each other so that we can see which is the fluffiest and which is the densest.
Now we just have to design a way to measure the fluffiness of the finished cakes and record the data. If we wanted to be really scientific, we could create a device the measures how much weight each cake could bear before flattening, the least weight would mean the fluffiest cake or even measure the time it takes each cake to revert to its original form. To collect real quantitative data, we need something that can record data using numbers and not observations. However, the easiest way to collect data for this type of data would probably be to conduct a taste test with multiple subjects and compare the results. A good taste test has multiple questions that provide both quantitative as well as qualitative data. On the quantitative side we could have questions that ask which was the densest, the lightest, which was the sweetest, and which was the saltiest, and then ask to give a rating to each. Doing this, we can collect data on how people interacted with the cake and which one they found to be fluffiest. Next, we could have questions that collect qualitative data, such as which had the most appealing color, which one was the best overall, and even which one had the best smell. Overall, a well-designed experiment that measures the qualities and desirability of a finished recipe both quantitatively and qualitatively in order to determine the finished recipe’s success comes down to having a thought out design and an understanding of what you are experimenting with.
In what way(s) are cooking and doing science similar and in what way(s) are they different? How are a cook and a food scientist similar or different?
Cooking and science are similar in many ways yet also vastly different in others. They are same in the way that both require exact measurements for either to work out. In cooking, ingredients are measured out using cups and teaspoons, and in science, the ‘ingredients’ are measured out in molecules and weight. In cooking, there is always a process such as raising, frying, baking, and many more that all result in a new flavor or type of food. In science, there is also almost always a process. In science, there is oxidation, decomposition, combustion, and many more reactions that start or finish the creation of a new substance. They are different, however, in the way that they are measured, as flour isn’t measured in the number of molecules and is instead measured based on volume. Science is more about creating new substances and focusing on the change in molecules, whereas cooking is focused on creating the best outcome in terms of taste and focuses on the change in textures and appearances.
They are also similar in the way that chefs and scientists go about their work. When chefs create a meal, they know the exact measurements of each ingredient needed to create a beautiful dish for their customers that both tastes amazing and satisfies. Scientists are the same way. When they create a ‘dish’ such as a compound made from two elements, they focus on creating the best compound that they can so that it satisfies the desired outcome. Chefs and scientists are different in the fact that chefs focus on creating the best tasting dish regardless of waste, and as fast as possible. Scientists focus on creating a new substance with minimal waste, trying to match the number of molecules of one substance to the number of molecules of another.
For most experiments, there are multiple ways to measure the qualities and desired abilities of a finished recipe both with numbers and observations in order to lead to a conclusion of if an experiment was successful or not. First, in order to have quantitative data, we must have something to measure, preferably what we are experimenting with. Let’s say we are experimenting with the fluffiness of chocolate cake and we are changing the amount of baking powder in order to determine if more will increase the fluffiness. To start this, we would want to design an experiment that has only one independent variable (what we are altering) and one dependent variable (the outcome). In this case that would mean creating three or four cakes that are exactly the same other than the amount of baking powder, which should be altered so that at least one cake has less than the base recipe and one has more than the base recipe. The point of having more than two cakes is so that we can compare each of the cakes with each other so that we can see which is the fluffiest and which is the densest.
Now we just have to design a way to measure the fluffiness of the finished cakes and record the data. If we wanted to be really scientific, we could create a device the measures how much weight each cake could bear before flattening, the least weight would mean the fluffiest cake or even measure the time it takes each cake to revert to its original form. To collect real quantitative data, we need something that can record data using numbers and not observations. However, the easiest way to collect data for this type of data would probably be to conduct a taste test with multiple subjects and compare the results. A good taste test has multiple questions that provide both quantitative as well as qualitative data. On the quantitative side we could have questions that ask which was the densest, the lightest, which was the sweetest, and which was the saltiest, and then ask to give a rating to each. Doing this, we can collect data on how people interacted with the cake and which one they found to be fluffiest. Next, we could have questions that collect qualitative data, such as which had the most appealing color, which one was the best overall, and even which one had the best smell. Overall, a well-designed experiment that measures the qualities and desirability of a finished recipe both quantitatively and qualitatively in order to determine the finished recipe’s success comes down to having a thought out design and an understanding of what you are experimenting with.
In what way(s) are cooking and doing science similar and in what way(s) are they different? How are a cook and a food scientist similar or different?
Cooking and science are similar in many ways yet also vastly different in others. They are same in the way that both require exact measurements for either to work out. In cooking, ingredients are measured out using cups and teaspoons, and in science, the ‘ingredients’ are measured out in molecules and weight. In cooking, there is always a process such as raising, frying, baking, and many more that all result in a new flavor or type of food. In science, there is also almost always a process. In science, there is oxidation, decomposition, combustion, and many more reactions that start or finish the creation of a new substance. They are different, however, in the way that they are measured, as flour isn’t measured in the number of molecules and is instead measured based on volume. Science is more about creating new substances and focusing on the change in molecules, whereas cooking is focused on creating the best outcome in terms of taste and focuses on the change in textures and appearances.
They are also similar in the way that chefs and scientists go about their work. When chefs create a meal, they know the exact measurements of each ingredient needed to create a beautiful dish for their customers that both tastes amazing and satisfies. Scientists are the same way. When they create a ‘dish’ such as a compound made from two elements, they focus on creating the best compound that they can so that it satisfies the desired outcome. Chefs and scientists are different in the fact that chefs focus on creating the best tasting dish regardless of waste, and as fast as possible. Scientists focus on creating a new substance with minimal waste, trying to match the number of molecules of one substance to the number of molecules of another.
Water Quality in the Animas River Watershed
Project Reflection
What new information did you learn through doing this project? I am interested in 1-2 paragraphs summarizing your new understanding of your topic.
For this project, I learned how many steps a treatment plant goes through in order to purify the wastewater before releasing it. When we had a guest speaker for the Wastewater Treatment Plant, he talked about what goes into a treatment plant and how they work. First, there are the pollutants, which range from solids like oils and pharmaceuticals all the way to too much phosphorus or nitrogen. We then learned about all of the things that can remove the waste from the water, these are all the different mechanisms, or “what are used to clean pollutants out of the water,” most of which vary between what they are and how they perform their jobs. There are different types of filters such as chemical or physical. These filters basically remove large debris or particles that inhibit the treatment process. There is the settling of solids as well as a cool process called digestion, where bacteria eats waste particles, which then purifies the water. There were so many different solutions to purify water it is hard to list them all. We learned about how these mechanisms are used in a variety of ways at the treatment plant such as trash screening and trickling filters, all the way to using UV light to kill bad bacteria or an overabundance of one, and natural features such as wetlands to strain any loose debris before finally flowing into the river.
Another one of the things that I learned, while less interesting but still intriguing, was that the geographical location of a treatment plant is a lot more important than I originally thought. The location of the treatment plant widely depends on available resources, open land, and a lot of other variables. The amount of planning that goes into where a treatment plant a is pretty vast, as designers have to take the current city into account, figuring out how to connect all of the storage tanks from the houses to flood into a general pipe to the treatment plant. Before this project, I thought that a treatment plant could go anywhere and the amount of pumping wasn’t an issue. However, this was changed after creating our model and researching how gravity is an important part of wastewater treatment. I also learned that water doesn’t flow directly to the treatment plant, it first goes to a storage tank and is then, “sent to a sewage-treatment plant through a sewer system.” In our project, we discovered that in order to pump water uphill, a multiple of pumping stations are needed. “Sewer pumping stations, commonly known as lift stations are most often used to pump wastewater to higher elevations to be treated or stored. The cost associated with this is quite high as construction material, electricity, maintenance and of course expert design are required,” and because the cost is so high, efficient planning is needed. When we were visited by a wastewater treatment planning director, he said that “In order to relocate the treatment plant, another 28 million dollars would be required,” and knowing this helps because it all comes down to saving the citizens of Durango energy and money.
What new skills or dispositions did you learn from this project?
For this water quality project based on the Animas Watershed, I don’t think I learned any new skills, but I feel as if I improved the skills that would help me refine and make our project all that more successful. One of the skills I found useful was one that I already had and simply honed. This was time management, and the reason that this came into play was because of the short time restrictions that we were put under. At the start of the project, my group was trying to find a way to create a model that would demonstrate our concept, however, we soon realized that with the limited time we had, our model wouldn’t come to meet our expectations. This is where time management was used and refined. Because building a model was now out of the picture, for multiple reasons, we decided to create multiple designs and slideshows to demonstrate our ideas instead. With only 8 class periods left to create everything we needed for the exhibition, we had to make sure everything was planned out perfectly so that we could make it professional. We decided to split the work out per person, I took on the slideshow and the rest of the artist statement, Ethan decided to take on critiquing the artist statement, and Henry went on to design our model concepts. By splitting up the work, we were able to spend our time much more effectively because we could all be working at the same time on one specific thing instead of working on one general thing, where one person would typically be left without a job.
To what extent is the study of water quality an important topic to investigate in school and in a chemistry class in particular? Consider that you are citizens, soon to be of voting age, of this city, state and country.
I think that water quality is an important topic, in general, to investigate in school for multiple reasons. I think that as climate change is becoming a bigger and bigger issue, more people should be informed about the quality of water and what might affect it. I am honestly unsure about studying it for chemistry as it is more of an environmental science topic, however, I can see chemistry coming into play when finer points need to be discussed. When I participated in the river watch, I found that a lot more chemistry goes into water quality than I thought before. So much goes into the study of water such as pH, turbidity, and a lot of stuff that might not make sense to the general public. I do think that for changing the quality of water or at least to understand what affects general water quality, chemistry might need to come after the general information. I think that it is something that everybody should be involved in, but if we are to study it for chemistry it might need to involve more formulas and what chemistry actually happens in the treatment of water. The reason behind this is because I found it super enlightening to learn more about what goes into the treatment of water and I thought it would have been nice to study some of the chemistry behind the mechanisms. In general, I think that the study of water quality is important because as human beings living on this earth, we need to take care the resources that we have. According to a survey done by Yale University, only 69% of all American citizens believe that climate change is a real thing and less than 60% of scientists. As a citizen close to voting age, I think it is absolutely crucial that young people learn about the water situations so that when they do vote on matters relating to these resources, they can make an informed decision.
For this project, I learned how many steps a treatment plant goes through in order to purify the wastewater before releasing it. When we had a guest speaker for the Wastewater Treatment Plant, he talked about what goes into a treatment plant and how they work. First, there are the pollutants, which range from solids like oils and pharmaceuticals all the way to too much phosphorus or nitrogen. We then learned about all of the things that can remove the waste from the water, these are all the different mechanisms, or “what are used to clean pollutants out of the water,” most of which vary between what they are and how they perform their jobs. There are different types of filters such as chemical or physical. These filters basically remove large debris or particles that inhibit the treatment process. There is the settling of solids as well as a cool process called digestion, where bacteria eats waste particles, which then purifies the water. There were so many different solutions to purify water it is hard to list them all. We learned about how these mechanisms are used in a variety of ways at the treatment plant such as trash screening and trickling filters, all the way to using UV light to kill bad bacteria or an overabundance of one, and natural features such as wetlands to strain any loose debris before finally flowing into the river.
Another one of the things that I learned, while less interesting but still intriguing, was that the geographical location of a treatment plant is a lot more important than I originally thought. The location of the treatment plant widely depends on available resources, open land, and a lot of other variables. The amount of planning that goes into where a treatment plant a is pretty vast, as designers have to take the current city into account, figuring out how to connect all of the storage tanks from the houses to flood into a general pipe to the treatment plant. Before this project, I thought that a treatment plant could go anywhere and the amount of pumping wasn’t an issue. However, this was changed after creating our model and researching how gravity is an important part of wastewater treatment. I also learned that water doesn’t flow directly to the treatment plant, it first goes to a storage tank and is then, “sent to a sewage-treatment plant through a sewer system.” In our project, we discovered that in order to pump water uphill, a multiple of pumping stations are needed. “Sewer pumping stations, commonly known as lift stations are most often used to pump wastewater to higher elevations to be treated or stored. The cost associated with this is quite high as construction material, electricity, maintenance and of course expert design are required,” and because the cost is so high, efficient planning is needed. When we were visited by a wastewater treatment planning director, he said that “In order to relocate the treatment plant, another 28 million dollars would be required,” and knowing this helps because it all comes down to saving the citizens of Durango energy and money.
What new skills or dispositions did you learn from this project?
For this water quality project based on the Animas Watershed, I don’t think I learned any new skills, but I feel as if I improved the skills that would help me refine and make our project all that more successful. One of the skills I found useful was one that I already had and simply honed. This was time management, and the reason that this came into play was because of the short time restrictions that we were put under. At the start of the project, my group was trying to find a way to create a model that would demonstrate our concept, however, we soon realized that with the limited time we had, our model wouldn’t come to meet our expectations. This is where time management was used and refined. Because building a model was now out of the picture, for multiple reasons, we decided to create multiple designs and slideshows to demonstrate our ideas instead. With only 8 class periods left to create everything we needed for the exhibition, we had to make sure everything was planned out perfectly so that we could make it professional. We decided to split the work out per person, I took on the slideshow and the rest of the artist statement, Ethan decided to take on critiquing the artist statement, and Henry went on to design our model concepts. By splitting up the work, we were able to spend our time much more effectively because we could all be working at the same time on one specific thing instead of working on one general thing, where one person would typically be left without a job.
To what extent is the study of water quality an important topic to investigate in school and in a chemistry class in particular? Consider that you are citizens, soon to be of voting age, of this city, state and country.
I think that water quality is an important topic, in general, to investigate in school for multiple reasons. I think that as climate change is becoming a bigger and bigger issue, more people should be informed about the quality of water and what might affect it. I am honestly unsure about studying it for chemistry as it is more of an environmental science topic, however, I can see chemistry coming into play when finer points need to be discussed. When I participated in the river watch, I found that a lot more chemistry goes into water quality than I thought before. So much goes into the study of water such as pH, turbidity, and a lot of stuff that might not make sense to the general public. I do think that for changing the quality of water or at least to understand what affects general water quality, chemistry might need to come after the general information. I think that it is something that everybody should be involved in, but if we are to study it for chemistry it might need to involve more formulas and what chemistry actually happens in the treatment of water. The reason behind this is because I found it super enlightening to learn more about what goes into the treatment of water and I thought it would have been nice to study some of the chemistry behind the mechanisms. In general, I think that the study of water quality is important because as human beings living on this earth, we need to take care the resources that we have. According to a survey done by Yale University, only 69% of all American citizens believe that climate change is a real thing and less than 60% of scientists. As a citizen close to voting age, I think it is absolutely crucial that young people learn about the water situations so that when they do vote on matters relating to these resources, they can make an informed decision.
Artist Statement
ENERGY EFFICIENT SYSTEM
Henry Haggart, Ethan Holst, Andrew Munroe
ELEVATOR PITCH
Have you ever wondered where your water goes once it swirls down the drain? Well, our exhibit is designed to show you where the water goes and what it takes to get the water to its end destination, the treatment plant. In the exhibition, our audience will be able to adjust the relative elevation of the treatment plant in a model (using a crank), which will change the flow of water as well as the amount of energy it takes to move it. This is meant to demonstrate how much energy and planning it takes to get water to a treatment plant, either downhill or uphill. We want to show that we don’t usually think about the cost of clean water, the amount of planning that goes into the placement of plants, and how it affects all of us.
I WANT THE AUDIENCE TO LEAVE WITH THE FOLLOWING:
We would like the audience to recognize that the location of the treatment plant influences the amount of energy that it takes to transport wastewater from their houses to be cleaned. The audience will learn that treatment plants are a vital part of our community and that in order to create a clean community we must first create an energy efficient system. We would like to leave the audience with an understanding of what it takes to create an energy efficient system, as well as feeling that the water they use has an impact that they may not have realized. When the intended audience leaves, we would like them to be curious about where their water goes and what it takes to move that water to a treatment plant. We want the audience to be curious about what goes on underneath their feet.
THE STORY MY EXHIBIT TELLS IS?
For hundreds of years, humankind has looked for clean water to drink, bathe in, cook with, and use for all purposes in life. From the 1700s, water purifiers were developed out of coal and sand, until a primitive treatment plant was created in Scotland. Today this concept drives every part of cleaning our water and oftentimes we take this for granted. However, we are still challenged today by the amount of energy it takes to move the water to the treatment plant, and this is what we are attempting to address in our model and concept. Our scientific concepts will hopefully teach our audience about how their actions help or hinder the conservation of energy. The audience will connect to our model and concept because it will push them to think about where their water goes, and why the treatment plant is laid out the way it is. We decided to create a concept design and model because we wanted something that the audience could interact with, but also know the details about. By creating both a model and design, we can take the interaction as well as the detail and combine it to create a more in-depth exhibition.
TARGET AUDIENCE
We intend to target an audience from middle-school to any older age. We hope that our concept design is simple enough for a younger audience to understand, but also for an older community to connect with. We want the audience to have a base education on energy and the way that a treatment plant may work so that our design will leave an impact on them. We want our audience to be able to interact with our model and design and learn something from it while also finding it fun. We hope that we can reach a broad audience and inspire everyone. We have designed our concept as simply as possible to convey the idea that it takes energy to move water, and depending on the location of where the water comes from, it can change the energy cost.
INTERACTION LENGTH & STYLE OF ENGAGEMENT
Our exhibit will hook the audience in with its colorful display, flowing water, moving parts, and educational purpose. This will engage the audience through a number of means, most importantly its interactive nature, where the audience will be able to play ‘controller’ and manipulate the model to their desire. This will lead the audience to learn about how their choices will affect the energy cost and how gravitational potential energy relates to electrical energy. The audience will become engaged with our exhibit through their sense of touch, which they will use to manipulate the relative elevation of the houses and the treatment plant. They will be engaged with the visual area of our model, as it will be very colorful and involve water that the audience will be able to see. The flowing water will hopefully create an audible connection to the model in addition to the visuals, however, it will only go to enhance the senses already engaged. People will stay with our project because we are focusing on a unique problem, with the water going to the treatment plant being the initial issue instead of the end problem. This exhibit will bring in people who like to learn physics, not just people who want to learn about the water treatment plant. The audience will learn all of these while playing in the role of themselves from their own perspectives, because we don’t want them to try to fix the problem, but to learn about why it is a tangible issue. By engaging with the exhibit from their own perspectives, it will hopefully show them how they are experiencing this energy cost first-hand.
DEFENSE
We believe our exhibit is perfect for the Santa Rita Wastewater Reclamation Facility because it addresses an issue that was a large part of the debate of relocating the treatment plant. Our exhibit shows how the placement of the treatment plant takes advantage of the natural geological location to use gravity to move wastewater. It demonstrates the amount of planning that goes into designing a system that is the most efficient and mediates the cost of transportation and energy. The reason this is important for people to learn is that the community should be more aware of why the treatment plant is laid out the way it is, and it what they can do to save money. Most importantly, our model is easy to make and draws the user in with moving parts, flowing water, and colorful modeling, all of which will keep them engaged and eager to learn.
Henry Haggart, Ethan Holst, Andrew Munroe
ELEVATOR PITCH
Have you ever wondered where your water goes once it swirls down the drain? Well, our exhibit is designed to show you where the water goes and what it takes to get the water to its end destination, the treatment plant. In the exhibition, our audience will be able to adjust the relative elevation of the treatment plant in a model (using a crank), which will change the flow of water as well as the amount of energy it takes to move it. This is meant to demonstrate how much energy and planning it takes to get water to a treatment plant, either downhill or uphill. We want to show that we don’t usually think about the cost of clean water, the amount of planning that goes into the placement of plants, and how it affects all of us.
I WANT THE AUDIENCE TO LEAVE WITH THE FOLLOWING:
We would like the audience to recognize that the location of the treatment plant influences the amount of energy that it takes to transport wastewater from their houses to be cleaned. The audience will learn that treatment plants are a vital part of our community and that in order to create a clean community we must first create an energy efficient system. We would like to leave the audience with an understanding of what it takes to create an energy efficient system, as well as feeling that the water they use has an impact that they may not have realized. When the intended audience leaves, we would like them to be curious about where their water goes and what it takes to move that water to a treatment plant. We want the audience to be curious about what goes on underneath their feet.
THE STORY MY EXHIBIT TELLS IS?
For hundreds of years, humankind has looked for clean water to drink, bathe in, cook with, and use for all purposes in life. From the 1700s, water purifiers were developed out of coal and sand, until a primitive treatment plant was created in Scotland. Today this concept drives every part of cleaning our water and oftentimes we take this for granted. However, we are still challenged today by the amount of energy it takes to move the water to the treatment plant, and this is what we are attempting to address in our model and concept. Our scientific concepts will hopefully teach our audience about how their actions help or hinder the conservation of energy. The audience will connect to our model and concept because it will push them to think about where their water goes, and why the treatment plant is laid out the way it is. We decided to create a concept design and model because we wanted something that the audience could interact with, but also know the details about. By creating both a model and design, we can take the interaction as well as the detail and combine it to create a more in-depth exhibition.
TARGET AUDIENCE
We intend to target an audience from middle-school to any older age. We hope that our concept design is simple enough for a younger audience to understand, but also for an older community to connect with. We want the audience to have a base education on energy and the way that a treatment plant may work so that our design will leave an impact on them. We want our audience to be able to interact with our model and design and learn something from it while also finding it fun. We hope that we can reach a broad audience and inspire everyone. We have designed our concept as simply as possible to convey the idea that it takes energy to move water, and depending on the location of where the water comes from, it can change the energy cost.
INTERACTION LENGTH & STYLE OF ENGAGEMENT
Our exhibit will hook the audience in with its colorful display, flowing water, moving parts, and educational purpose. This will engage the audience through a number of means, most importantly its interactive nature, where the audience will be able to play ‘controller’ and manipulate the model to their desire. This will lead the audience to learn about how their choices will affect the energy cost and how gravitational potential energy relates to electrical energy. The audience will become engaged with our exhibit through their sense of touch, which they will use to manipulate the relative elevation of the houses and the treatment plant. They will be engaged with the visual area of our model, as it will be very colorful and involve water that the audience will be able to see. The flowing water will hopefully create an audible connection to the model in addition to the visuals, however, it will only go to enhance the senses already engaged. People will stay with our project because we are focusing on a unique problem, with the water going to the treatment plant being the initial issue instead of the end problem. This exhibit will bring in people who like to learn physics, not just people who want to learn about the water treatment plant. The audience will learn all of these while playing in the role of themselves from their own perspectives, because we don’t want them to try to fix the problem, but to learn about why it is a tangible issue. By engaging with the exhibit from their own perspectives, it will hopefully show them how they are experiencing this energy cost first-hand.
DEFENSE
We believe our exhibit is perfect for the Santa Rita Wastewater Reclamation Facility because it addresses an issue that was a large part of the debate of relocating the treatment plant. Our exhibit shows how the placement of the treatment plant takes advantage of the natural geological location to use gravity to move wastewater. It demonstrates the amount of planning that goes into designing a system that is the most efficient and mediates the cost of transportation and energy. The reason this is important for people to learn is that the community should be more aware of why the treatment plant is laid out the way it is, and it what they can do to save money. Most importantly, our model is easy to make and draws the user in with moving parts, flowing water, and colorful modeling, all of which will keep them engaged and eager to learn.